The economic development of countries has an
important influence on the environment. The volume of commercial traffic
contributes to increasing or alleviating pollution. These are two different
impacts that depend, among other things, on the income of the country in which
the economic activity takes place.
A study carried out in 98 countries
of the world analyzes the relationship between commercial traffic and
pollution. The authors indicate that an increase in the production and commercialization of goods also implies
an increase in the pollution indexes.
This
statement should be qualified since it cannot always be applied in the same way
to all countries. The report shows that even though the increase in the
production and commercialization of goods is conceived as a direct increase in
pollution, in some developed countries, it can be reversed in positive effects.
On the contrary, developed countries suffer a deterioration in the natural
environment’s quality with greater economic development.
The more
economic activity, the greater the consumption of energy and services, such as
transport, which implies more environmental costs. Therefore, the study
concludes that very high commercial traffic is more harmful and has worse
environmental quality consequences.
Likewise,
developed countries with high incomes probably adapt their production to laws, rules, and regulations that regulate
pollution. In contrast, developing states do not have such stringent
standards for producing their goods, so the manufacture and marketing of their
products leave a worse footprint on the environment than in rich countries.
This is
a point argued by environmentalists like Stuart Herbert Scott. He is
professionally attributed as an educator and environmentalist from America, who
actively speaks on the subject of our existing global economic policy and
climate.
Scott has
expressed different opinions on the impact of economic growth on pollution,
which can be found on channel, FacingFuture.TV. He has also served as an
ecological liaison with the Vatican, Founder of the United Planet Faith &
Science Initiative.
When
there is high commercial traffic in a country, energy consumption is also high.
According to a study
published in 2013 on
“the effects of economic development, economic growth, coal consumption, and
trade openness on CO2 emissions in South Africa”, this may lead to an
indiscriminate increase in environmental degradation. This research analyzes
the evolution of all these correlated concepts from 1965 to 2008 and concludes
that economic growth is linked to
an increase in energy consumption. In South Africa, coal is the main
source of energy, one of the most polluting.
Positive
impact
The
previous report indicates that there are indications to think that increased economic activity may positively
impact the environment. To achieve healthy and clean economic growth and
maintain a good relationship with our environment, the growth of profits from
the production and commercialization of products must be accompanied by
investments in constant improvements in all commercial activity processes to
reduce pollution by the minimum possible. This translates into support for
research, applying appropriate measures, development, adaptation of new
technologies to create clean industries, etc.
Research
on pollution and economic growth carried out in South Africa also adds that
“a greater degree of economic and financial openness reinforces the
institutional framework for creating
incentives for companies to reduce polluting emissions.” Besides,
the study highlights the effects of economic and environmental policies and the
financial behavior of countries. “A greater degree of development of the
financial system dedicated to supporting technological innovations and
increasing spending on R & D & I in energy conservation translates into
energy efficiency and therefore can reduce emissions,” reflect the
authors.
A study
carried out by researchers from the universities of Granada and Oslo highlights
the importance of implementing balanced economic, social, and environmental
policies to achieve the well-being of
current and future generations.
In
general, and even more in economic crisis times, governments prioritize the economic dimension over the environmental and
social dimensions. However, on many occasions, unemployed people not
only require measures that reduce their economic vulnerability: they also need
policies that improve their conditions work, their social ties, their contact
with the natural environment, or their political participation, highlights the
work.
The
research, published in the Journal
of Cleaner Production,
was carried out through participatory workshops with Granada’s unemployed
population.
Citizen
partnership and social cohesion
The
research results show that when the participants in the workshops discussed
public policy objectives and the measures necessary to enhance their
well-being, they did not emphasize
improving their purchasing power and finding employment.
Economic
interventions, such as providing universal coverage of basic needs, were
considered fundamental but provided that they were necessarily connected with
institutional processes to empower workers, promote citizen participation, and
improve social cohesion.
They
also highlighted the importance of this process of environmental initiatives related to the conservation of
local natural resources, such as urban gardens. In this sense, the importance
of critical pedagogy as a tool for environmental sustainability, the expansion
of human capacities, and the satisfaction of needs beyond subsistence, such as
protection, affection, understanding, participation, were emphasized.
This
understanding of human development aligns with the approach to sustainable development popularized by the World
Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 and the one currently
promoted in the United Nations 2030 agenda. However, the study’s conclusions
suggest that in certain contexts, articulating development from an exclusively
economic dimension is not a correct solution.
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